Last night’s Fantasmic! performance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios took an unexpected turn.
While Disney parks worldwide are stuffed with world-class entertainment, we’ll always have a soft spot for Fantasmic! This stage show—which combines live performances, pyrotechnics, projections, and the very best of Disney storytelling—has long enchanted audiences at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland.
The show sees Mickey Mouse come face-to-face with Disney’s most infamous villains, relying on nothing but the power of his imagination to come out victorious.
On the West Coast, Disneyland’s version unfolds on the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island, though it now lacks the towering dragon in the finale after 2023’s dramatic fire. Tokyo DisneySea also once had a unique take on Fantasmic! from 2011 to 2020, mesmerizing audiences with advanced technology until it was replaced by Believe! Sea of Dreams (which, we’ll admit, we actually prefer. Blasphemy, we know).
The Disney’s Hollywood Studios version, which opened at Hollywood Hills Amphitheater in 1998, has evolved over the years, adding new effects and modifying scenes while preserving key moments like the iconic princess and prince sequence.
But during last night’s show, a mishap occurred during this princess float. As shown in footage captured by Instagram user @the.worden.fam, Ariel and Prince Eric’s barge collided with Belle and the Beast’s, knocking Belle to the ground.
2 boats crashed during Fantasmic! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
📸: The Worden Fam
2 boats crashed during Fantasmic! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
📸: The Worden Fam pic.twitter.com/xAxJHqTjAe
— Matt Desmond (@DisneyScoopGuy) October 26, 2024
The video shows Belle quickly recovering with the Beast’s help to enthusiastic cheers from the crowd. “We hope Belle was ok! The Disney Cast Members were absolute professionals and recovered so well!” @the.worden.fam wrote, noting that the crowd cheered Belle on after the incident.
Past Incidents During Fantasmic!
This is the latest in a history of minor mishaps—from pyrotechnic glitches to acrobatic stumbles—for Fantasmic!
Just months after last year’s dragon fire, Disneyland’s Mickey Mouse had a pyrotechnic misfire mid-performance. Also in 2023, Aladdin crashed into a wall while swinging on a rope, while Snow White’s barge hit a concrete wall that same year after nearly crashing with another boat.
A year earlier, Mickey Mouse took a stumble during a performance in Anaheim, managing to get back to his feet just on time for the pyrotechnics to shoot out of his hands.
Most famously, in 2016, Dopey lost his footing on the steamboat finale, taking an unexpected tumble onto Goofy on the deck below him. Fortunately, both cast members emerged unscathed (but the video did go viral).
Even with its occasional snags, Fantasmic! remains one of the best pieces of entertainment on Disney property, which is why some fans were so disappointed by Disneyland Park’s decision to slash the number of performances over the coming months.
Have you ever witnessed a mishap during Fantasmic!?